1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to garment hangers. More particularly, this invention relates to a garment hanger having a removable side size indicator.
2. State of the Art
For purposes of displaying garments suspended on hangers in an orderly manner to the retail customer, certain retail stores desire to affix an indicating means on the side of the hook of the hanger where the hook meets the hanger body. The indicating means identifies some attribute of the garment suspended from the hanger, such as size, quality, color, manufacturing data, or pattern.
To accommodate the various types of hangers available in the industry, numerous indicating means have been developed in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. Similarly, hangers have been developed to accommodate a variety of different indicating means. Generally, the indicating means is attached to the hanger at the time that the clothing is attached to the hanger. In many cases, once the indicating means is attached to the hanger, it is difficult or impossible to remove without destroying it and damaging the hanger. This may or may not be a disadvantage. In situations where the purchaser takes the clothing with the hanger, e.g. where the hanger may be used by the purchaser to hang the clothes in the purchaser's wardrobe, this does not generally present a problem. Some clothing which is displayed on hangers at the store is not kept on hangers once purchased. These items of clothing include underwear and swimwear. Typically, the cashier will detach the clothing from the hanger and discard the hanger before packaging the clothing for the purchaser. In many instances, these items of clothing are attached to the hangers at their place of manufacture and then shipped to retailers in the U.S. In most cases, the cost of returning used hangers to the manufacturer outweighs the cost of new hangers. In cases where it is less expensive to recycle the hangers than to buy new hangers, the cost of sorting the hangers according to their indicator makes this practice uneconomical. If, however, the indicating means could be easily removed and replaced without damaging the hanger, then recycling of hangers would be economical.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,746 discloses a molded plastic garment hanger having a hook with a web adjacent the hook and a hanger body, wherein the web is received within a cavity of a molded plastic indicator having side walls. The web is formed with a detachment opening which extends under the indicator to allow the indicator to be removed when a detachment wedge is inserted in the opening. While this hanger arrangement is effective, it has the disadvantage of requiring a tool to remove the indicator. It is also dangerous in that when the tool is applied to remove the indicator, the indicator is allowed to fly off the hanger in an unpredictable direction. This projectile can strike someone in the face or eye and cause serious injury.
The previously incorporated parent application discloses a hanger which includes a cross member with a centrally located hook. A web is formed between the hook and the cross member and is adapted to receive an indicator such as the indicator disclosed in the previously mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,746, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. The web includes (on each side) a rib, followed by a valley, followed by a plateau. According to the parent application, the rib is beveled at the top, has a thick base, and a relatively small notch is provided in the web adjacent the top of the rib. A gradual rise or ramp is located between the valley and the plateau. The indicator is generally U-shaped with inwardly turned ends and a pair of interior fingers. The indicator is easily attached by sliding it over the beveled top of the rib and then down to the thick base of the rib. When attached to the web, the internal fingers of the indicator embrace the rib and the inwardly turned ends lie adjacent the ramp on each side of the web. The indicator is easily and safely removed from the top of the rib by inserting a fingernail or instrument into the notch and leveraging the top of the indicator. In an alternate embodiment, the rib is beveled at the bottom and a notch is provided in the web adjacent the bottom of the rib.
While the parent application discloses arrangements which are improvements in the art, it would be desirable to provide a system which does not require the use of a fingernail or instrument to remove the indicator.